Benchmarking Transformative IT Education for Urban Youth: The First School for Apps in Brazil

The youth of Conjunto Palmeiras, Fortaleza are finding themselves progressively disengaged from their communities while also lacking skills and support to change their current situation. The Capstone Workshop team, along with Instituto Palmas, an organization with a rich history in the community, set out to create a space where the youth can learn to be creative, innovative and more confident – becoming drivers of change in their communities. Through rigorous desk research of similar initiatives around the world, in addition to field research to understand the context, the Workshop Team designed The Palmas Center for Social Innovation. This includes a Model consisting of a Core Curriculum, Specialized Workshops, a Design Thinking Seminar, a Pitch Competition, as well as Post-Graduation services. The 3-year Model is further supported by two toolkits: (i) the Operational Toolkit and (ii) the Evaluation Toolkit in addition to (iii) the Pitch Deck and (iv) the Business Model Canvas to supplement the creation of the Center. The iterative implementation of these products aims to create a new generation of engaged youth with the necessary skills and motivation to improve the well-being of themselves, but also their communities.